Bill Kurelic 1/14/00 3:45 PM Several of the Buckeyes verbal commitments are also visiting the Buckeyes this weekend. WR Andrew Lee, DB Willie Alan and WR John Hollins all will visit, but RB Terry Pogue who was scheduled to visit will not make it this weekend. He will visit the weekend of January 28th due to his basketball schedule. Pogue has not yet qualified academically, though he does now have his ACT up to a 16. A couple of players that the Buckeyes had been recruiting have committed elsewhere. DL Calvin Barrett (6-2, 300) from California has committed to Wisconsin, and has cancelled his scheduled visit to Nebraska this coming weekend. Also, LB Darrell Reed from New Jersey who had originally committed to Ohio State has now committed to Minnesota. Reed has decided that he is going to Minnesota. That, however, may work out just fine for the Buckeyes. The Buckeyes are filling up this recruiting class, and still have a number of top prospects that they would like to include in the class. If all of the top ones wanted to go to Ohio State, the Buckeyes would not be able to fit them all in, so perhaps the Buckeyes can use the open space left by Reed for good use. Shane Olivea will most likely make his final decision by Monday, but it may now come as early as Saturday. Olivea's family, by the way, seems to want him to go to Ohio State. He has a brother that live in Ohio, and certainly that would be in the Buckeyes' favor as well. As for his part, Shane says right now things are dead even between Ohio State and Georgia Tech, and by the way, both Georgia Tech and Ohio State will be visiting with Olivea on Friday (today). Antonio Hall, the big offensive lineman from Canton McKinley is also planning on announcing a decision soon. Hall is going to visit Kentucky this weekend as scheduled, and then in all likelihood he says he will announce a decision either Tuesday or Wednesday of next week. If the Buckeyes could manage to pick up both Olivea and Hall, that would be a huge, huge boost to this recruiting class. OSU's last verbal commitment came from Florida WR Michael Jenkins, but he is certainly not the only WR from Florida that the Buckeyes are pursuing. The Buckeyes would still love to land Tony Brown from Fort Lauderdale as well. Brown is still very much considering Ohio State. He has been to Ohio State, Purdue and Michigan so far, and he has Florida State scheduled for this weekend and Notre Dame for the 21st. He currently says that he is very impressed with all three of the schools that he has already visited, and I feel that the Buckeyes have just as good a chance as any of the other three schools he has visited at landing Tony Brown. I do think, however, that the school to watch will be Florida State this weekend. The Buckeyes also continue to pursue New Jersey WR Carlos Perez, and like Antonio Hall and Shane Olivea, I think that both Perez and Tony Brown could announce a decision very soon as well. Perez us visiting Penn State this weekend, and my gut feeling is that he will decide between Ohio State and Ohio State sometime next week, even though he has one more official visit scheduled. I do tend to think that Penn State might have the inside track, but keep in mind that before Shawn Simms was let go by Ohio State, Perez had the Buckeyes as his top choice, and has said that it had really been one of his goals to play for Ohio State. I do think that Ohio State could either Perez or Brown into this recruiting class, though I doubt that they could fit both in if both wanted to commit to Ohio State. Also don't forget about Tony Brown's teammate, Joseph Bruce, who is the younger brother of NFL star Isaac Bruce. Joseph is a very good WR as well, and the 5-9. 165 pounder is very much still in the Buckeyes' plans. Ohio State is definitely still pursuing him. Bruce says that he is planning to visit Missouri this weekend and has Boston College scheduled for January 21st. He has already been to Ohio State. The Buckeyes like his talent, but the one question mark will be qualifying academically, but I think he is going to make it, and the the Buckeyes are most definitely still interested in Joseph Bruce, and right now, he says that Ohio State is his top choice. He is also aware that the Buckeyes are filling up with scholarships. He would like to wait until around signing day to make and announce a decision, but he told me that he is well aware that there could be no openings for scholarships at some of the schools, particularly Ohio State, that he is interested in if he continues to wait. The Buckeyes will be hosting a linebacker from Florida this weekend. Thomas Mathews (6-1, 205) is and OLB from Fort Lauderdale. In addition to Ohio State this weekend, he has Bethune Cookman scheduled for January 21st, and is looking at Georgia Tech and Vanderbilt as well. He says that Georgia Tech and Ohio State are his two favorites. Vandy has offered him a scholarship, and a number of schools that he is really not considering have offered as well. Those schools include Boston College, Oregon, Buffalo, Connecticut, Iowa and Iowa State. The Buckeyes would love to land one of two linebackers, either Robert Reynolds from Kentucky or Marco Cooper from Michigan. Reynolds will be visiting Ohio State this weekend, but I don't expect him to make a decision next week. I think he will make his last scheduled visit, that being to Florida. Ultimately I think Reynolds is going to decide between Michigan, Ohio State and Florida, and it too close to call right now between those three. Reynolds says that he has a top three, in no particualar order, of Ohio State, Michigan and Tennessee. That is significant in that he has already been to two of those three schools, Tennessee and Michigan, yet Ohio State is equal with those two schools. Marco Cooper continues to say that he continues to have Minnesota slightly ahead of the Buckeyes, but I feel the Buckeyes have a legitimate shot at Cooper as well. He is scheduled to visit Tennessee this weekend, and he has Wisconsin scheduled for January 21st, and I tend to think that he might take all of his visits. He has not qualified yet academically, and it's not out of the question that he might not sign with anyone on national signing day. 1/10/00 DE Bobby Williams from New Smyrna Beach, Florida seems to have had a great visit with the Buckeyes. He says that Ohio State, Notre Dame and Florida remain his top three choices, in no particular order. He was hosted this weekend by LeCharles Bentley. He is scheduled to visit Notre Dame next weekend, South Carolina January 17th, Florida on January 21st, and then Georgia Tech on January 28th. DB Darrin Stevens from Texas should end up committing to Ohio State it seems. He has the Buckeyes as his big leader, but he still wants to visit Kansas State January 14th before he makes a decision. Stevens says that Ohio State is definitely his top choice. He was hosted on his visit by Nate Clements. He says he likes the people at Ohio State and the football environment, so that one certainly sounds good for the Buckeyes as well. Stevens seems ready to commit to Ohio State, but he may have a difficult time fitting into this Buckeye recruiting class since the number of scholarships still available is now very small. DL Calvin Barrett from California had a good visit with the Buckeyes, but did not commit, and I fully expect him to visit Nebraska this coming weekend before making a decision. However, I feel Ohio State has just as good a chance as anybody, and perhaps a better shot than anybody at landing him. He did seem very impressed with Ohio State. DB Steve Smith (6-1, 185), from Gardena Serra High School in California also made an official visit to Ohio State last weekend. He has already visited Washington State and Oregon, and in addition to Ohio State this weekend, he has Texas A&M January 14th and Colorado January 21st. Smith does not seem to have a leader right now, but does seem very impressed with the city of Columbus. He likes the big city, and certainly Columbus is bigger than the cities that the other schools he is looking at are located in. Smith is a corner back and intercepted two passes this season. He was hosted this weekend by Richard McNutt. He said he really liked it at Ohio State, and it's not out of the question that he could decide sometime this week, but as of right now he is still scheduled to take those next two visits. DB Tony Campbell (6-3, 195, 4.5) from Fork Union Military Academy in Virginia who picked off six passes for Fork Union's secondary program this year. Campbell, who needs 30 more points on his test to qualify (he has a 790 on the SAT) has already visited Virginia Tech and Virginia. He visited Ohio State this weekend and was hosted by Vaness Provitt. Campbell also has Tennessee scheduled for next weekend. He is originally from Athens, Georgia. He seems impressed with Ohio State, but it is not going to be easy to get him out of the South. He doesn't seem to be leaning heavily toward any of the schools right now. DE Jim Davis (6-4, 255) from Fork Union Military Academy is a teammate of Tony Campbell in the post-graduate program. He has visited Virginia Tech and Virginia, and like Tony Campbell, will visit Tennessee next weekend. He was hosted this weekend Joe Cooper and Mike Doss. After his visit, he says that Ohio State is now "definitely up there on his list" but he make his visit to Tennessee. DB Harlan Jacobs 96-2, 180) from Atlanta Douglas High School in Georgia was hosted by Darnell Sanders. This was his first official visit anywhere, and he has a January 17th and 18th scheduled to Maryland, and then he has Louisville scheduled for January 28th. Neither Maryland nor Louisville have yet offered him a scholarship. Jacobs would commit to Ohio State if offered, he has the Buckeyes as his top choice, however, Ohio State may not end up being able to squeeze him into this recruiting class, so as of right now, he is scheduled to visit Maryland and Louisville. Alphonso Townsend and Jason Caldwell both also visited Ohio State this weekend, and of course both are already committed to Ohio State. Three prospects that had been scheduled to visit the weekend did not make their visits. RB Diamond Ferry did not, nor did RB Terry Pogue. WR Andrew Lee did not visit the Buckeyes as well. Pogue and Lee will probably visit Ohio State next weekend, though with all three, Pogue, Lee and Ferry, there are academic concerns and it may be that Ferry doesn't visit Ohio State at all. Unfortunately, RB Chris Perry from Fork Union has verbally committed to Michigan over the Buckeyes. Perry told me that he chose Michigan because he just felt like it was the best place for him. He said he liked the players at Michigan. He said "that's not to say that I didn't like the players at Ohio State, I did, but I liked the attitude of the players a little bit better at Michigan." He had been concerned about the number of running backs at Michigan but, he said that he was told that he would get and opportunity, and that's all he can ask for. Perry did thought leave the door just very, very slightly open when he mentioned that he feels more relaxed now that he has made his decision, but that he is still second guessing himself a little bit. He said he is pretty sure that the would stay with his commitment to Michigan, but still there was just a little bit of doubt in his voice. I spoke with Antonio Hall, the super lineman from Canton McKinley High School. First of all, the rumors that have him announcing a decision on Monday (today) are absolutely false. Hall said that he will take his visit to Kentucky the weekend of January 14th, and will not make a decision until after that visit. As far as the rumors going around that he would be going to the same school as Chris Perry, he said those rumors are not accurate either. He said the he and Chris Perry got to be friends because they visited both Ohio State and Michigan on the same weekends. He said that what he told a newspaper was that he wouldn't mind blocking for Perry, but he never said anything to the extent the he wanted to go to the same school necessarily as Perry. He said that he is going to make the decision that is simply best for himself, regardless of Chris Perry. Hall said that coaches Mummy and Carr from Kentucky and Michigan would have in home visits with him after his visit to Kentucky, and that he would most likely announce his decision somewhere around Tuesday, January 18th, or Wednesday, January 19th. He said that right now he does not have a favorite, but I still feel that Ohio State is still the school to beat for Antonio Hall. With Chris Perry committing to Michigan, that puts and even greater priority on the Buckeyes landing Greg Jones from South Carolina, and Jones is an outstanding running back prospect. Jones made an official visit to Florida State this weekend and the good news is that he didn't commit. He is still planning to visit Tennessee January 14th, and Clemson January 21st. Jones said that Florida State and Ohio State remain his co-leaders. Also bad news is that TE Billy Palmer from Florida informed the Buckeyes that he would not be visiting Ohio State and visited Notre Dame instead. Palmer comitted to the Irish and will not reschedule his visit to Ohio State. That means that the remaining TE that the Buckeyes still have a legitimate shot at landing is Marcus Hairiston from Columbus Mifflin High School, and the Buckeyes do like his talent, but the only question mark is academic. He still needs to pass his test. OL Shane Olivea has now decided that he will not take any other official visits. He had said earlier that he might go ahead and take one or two more, but Olivea told me that it is now down to just Ohio State and Georgia Tech, and he said "I'm basically starting over, the two schools are even." He said he wants to make a decision sometime in the next few days to the next couple of weeks. I feel somewhat optimistic for the Buckeyes' chance of landing Shane Olivea. I tend to think that the Buckeyes might end up landing Shane Olivea. LB Marco Cooper from Detroit visited Georgia last weekend, and he liked it there, but he liked his visits to Ohio State and Minnesota better. He still has Tennessee January 14th and is considering Wisconsin and Purdue as well, but it looks like it is going to come down to Ohio State, Minnesota or Tennessee. A bit of bad news is that full back Justin Picciotti from Pennsylvania visited Pitt this weekend, and though he did not commit, he says that Ohio State is now out of the running. Picciotti will visit Syracuse January 20th and Boston College January 28th. TE Eric Knott from Michigan says he is planning on taking his official visit to Ohio State this weekend, January 14th. Knott is arguably the country's top tight end prospect, and has already been to Michigan State and Miami. Ohio State will be his last official visit, then he will make his decision. He did not visit Florida State last weekend as was scheduled. That visit was cancelled and will not be rescheduled. Knott however seems almost a certainty to end up a Michigan State, but he Buckeyes are hoping that they can sway him this weekend. DB Stewart Schweigert from Michigan visited with Michigan State's head coach over the weekend, but did not commit to the Spartans. Schweigert says that Michigan State and Purdue remain his co-leaders. The Buckeyes would like to have him in for an official visit next weekend. WR Michael Jenkins (6-5, 200, 4.5), the outstanding WR from Florida, visited Georgia Tech last weekend. After that visit, it looks like Jenkins could very well become a Buckeye. Jenkins told me that he had a good visit with Georgia Tech, that it was nice, but he said he still likes Ohio State best. He said that he family would kind of prefer that he stay closer to home, but he said that that would not be a big factor in his decision. Jenkins said that he will likely make an announcement sometime early this week. He said his decision is down to Ohio State and Georgia Tech, but he is very impressed with Ohio State's business school, and he likes what Ohio State can do for him academically and athletically, so it sounds like unless a family member can talk him out of it, he will commit to the Buckeyes, possibly as soon as today. He caught 26 passes as a junior, and caught 18 more this season, averaging 18 yards per catch. DE Nautyn McKay-Loescher from Canada is going to reschedule his visit to Michigan State. He was scheduled to visit the Spartans this weekend but did not make the trip. He continues to have Ohio State as his leader over Miami, who he will visit January 28th. He will visit the Spartans next weekend, and it seems that the only school that might sway him away from Ohio State is Miami. 1/06/00 12:40 AM TE Willie Roberts from Florida told me very late last night that he has now made a final decision, and the final decision is to go to Miami. Roberts originally committed to Ohio State, doing so the day before Christmas. He subsequently committed to Miami and then said that he was "double committed" as he put it, and that he would make a final decision later. He now has decided on favor of Miami, despite having said earlier that he was leaning more toward Ohio State. He said late last night, however, that he has made a final decision to go to Miami because he feels comfortable with the coaching staff there, and it is of course closer to home. He says he feels comfortable with his decision, but he has not yet talked to Bill Conley who had been recruiting him for Ohio State. Now on to the positive news. DE Nautyn McKay-Loescher from Canada, who is the top prospect in Canada, has cancelled his official visit to Michigan this weekend. He said that he will visit Michigan State instead. He said he just felt like Michigan State would be a better place for him to visit this weekend. Loescher says that Ohio State is still his leader. He says that he is going to visit Michigan State this weekend, then Miami January 28th. He has already been to Ohio State, Boston College, and Arizona. He says that Ohio State is his leader, Miami is second, and Arizona third. He says that his mother also prefers Ohio State, so that is all very good news. OL is a huge priority in this Buckeye recruiting class, and certainly the Buckeyes are hopefully of landing Antonio Hall. The Buckeyes also had been very hopeful of landing Shane Olivea (6-5, 305) but he of course committed to Georgia Tech. However, there has been a big, big change. Shane Olivea is very much considering Ohio State again. In fact, he called the Buckeyes to tell them that he is once again very interested in Ohio State. Olivea did originally commit to Georgia Tech, and one of the big reasons he did so was offensive line coach Doug Maroney, who is a very highly respected offensive line coach at Georgia Tech. However, Maroney has now left Georgia Tech to take a job at Georgia, and this has changed things dramatically with Olivea. Shane is now reconsidering all of his options and is no longer committed to Georgia Tech. He is very concerned with the way things took place with Maroney leaving Georgia Tech to go to Georgia. In fact, he was taken back by it all. He absolutely has Ohio State back in the picture. Olivea has relatives that live in Marietta, Ohio, and I feel the Buckeyes may end up benefiting big time from Georgia Tech losing their offensive line coach. If Ohio State could land Olivea and Antonio Hall to go with Alex Stepanovich and Larry Kinnard, that would be a very, very good group of offensive linemen and would really help the Buckeyes' cause. Perry will be visited on Thursday by Buckeye assistant Jon Tenuta who is recruiting him for Ohio State, and Perry is also being visited this week by an assistant coach from Michigan. The departure of linebacker Na'il Diggs for the NFL makes linebackers Marco Cooper and Robert Reynolds even more important than ever, and as to what effect it will have on their decisions, I think that Diggs leaving for the NFL could help Ohio State somewhat in the recruiting of both Reynolds and Cooper. Cooper would like to play quickly wherever he goes, and this would give him an even better opportunity if he chose Ohio State, except for the fact that he has a ways to go to qualify academically, so he could be a case that no matter where he goes, he isn't going to get a chance to play right away, but I think this could help Ohio State in the recruiting of both Marco Cooper and Robert Reynolds. I called Marco Cooper last night, and he said he wasn't even aware that Diggs had decided to leave Ohio State early. Cooper said that he really didn't think that Diggs leaving would affect his decision. Reynolds, meanwhile, was not available for comment, but was visited by a Michigan assistant last night. Buckeye defensive coordinator Fred Pagac visit with offensive lineman Antonio Hall on Monday. Hall is still planning on taking one more official visit before he announces a decision. Hall has already visited Michigan and Ohio State, and will visit Kentucky January 14th. The visit with Pagac went very very well, but Hall did not at this point commit to Ohio State. There is an interesting report out that Antonio Hall and Chris Perry, the fine running back from Fork Union, might might want to go to the same school together. Hall and Perry both visited Ohio State the weekend of December 3rd. They both subsequently visited Michigan the weekend of December 10th. The two got to be friends, and the two's parents also were along on the visit. Still, I believe that Antonio Hall will in the end make the decision that is best for him, even though there is a report out that he would like to go wherever Chris Perry goes. Hall I think will end up choosing Ohio State over Michigan, though I don't think it's a done deal by any stretch of the imagination. While on the other hand, I think it is more likely that Perry pick Michigan over Ohio State, while that also is not a done deal by any stretch of the imagination. The Buckeyes continue to recruit WR Carlos Perez (6-1, 195) from Hoboken, New Jersey. Perez told me that he is all set for his official visit to Ohio State this weekend. He says that Ohio State is certainly still in the running, though he said that he does not have a favorite at this point. Perez has already visited Florida and Purdue, and he will visit Ohio State this weekend, Penn State January 14th, and has Notre Dame scheduled for January 21st. All of the schools have offered him a scholarship. He is one of the country's top wide receiver prospects. Perez, by the way, was visited at his high school earlier this afternoon by two assistant coaches from Purdue, but Perez did not commit to the Boilermakers. Perez at one time had said that Purdue was perhaps his slight leader over Florida, but when I spoke with him lately he said that all of the schools are pretty much equal right now. The school to watch for, I believe, is Penn State. I believe that they could end up landing Perez and may have the edge at this point, but Perez himself right now is saying that he has no favorite. Speaking of WR prospects that the Buckeyes would love to land, Tony Brown from Florida indicated that he is going to visit Michigan this weekend. Brown has already visited Purdue and Ohio State, and Florida State scheduled for January 14th. The other school that Tony Brown is considering for a visit is Tennessee. Brown says that right now, Ohio State and Purdue are his two favorites but keep in mind that those are the two schools he has visited thus far. I think that the school to watch out for is going to be Florida State when he visits there. 01/03/00 RB Diamond Ferry has already visited Syracuse and Iowa, and in addition to Ohio State this coming weekend, he has Tennessee January 14th and has added Indiana for January 21st. Ferry said that all those schools are pretty even right now, he has no clear cut favorites, but he did say that he liked his visits to both Syracuse and Iowa. He did say that he would probably take all five visits before making a decision. The Buckeyes would love to land TE Eric Knott from Michigan, but it doesn't look good. I spoke to Knott recently, and he said that as of right now, his visit to Ohio State January 14th is still on, but he is still not sure if he will take that trip or not. Knott said that he is also not sure if he will visit Florida State this coming weekend, January 7th. So far, he has been to Michigan State and Miami, and that all four schools are in the running, but that he will probably wait until national signing day to announce a decision. I feel that Eric Knott will announce for Michigan state, but at least for now, he is not announcing anything. The Buckeyes also continue to pursue QB/WR/DB Stewart Schweigert. I think that he will ultimately decide between Michigan State and Purdue, but the Buckeyes are still hoping to convince him to visit Ohio State sometime in January. Schwiegert has not completely ruled out a visit to OSU. Schweigert also says he is also not ruling out Wisconsin or Notre Dame as well, and is also Iowa as well. TE Willie Roberts is still committed to both Ohio State and Miami, but continues to say that it is more towards Ohio State than Miami. However, Roberts also continues to say that nothing is a done deal as of yet. Roberts also now says that he has not completely ruled out Auburn. Roberts says he is not sure when he will make his final decision, but it could be within the next week. The weekend of January 6th, 7th and 8th will be the biggest out of state recruiting weekend for Ohio State. Making visits that weekend will be DL Calvin Barrett from California, as is DL Bobby Williams from Florida. The Buckeyes have a realistic shot at both Barrett and Williams and they would be two great additions to this recruiting class. Another fine defensive lineman visiting the Buckeyes that weekend is Alphonso Townsend who has of course already committed to the Buckeyes. Townsend does need to work on his academic situation. He has not as yet passed his test, so he must work on that. Another commitment scheduled to visit Ohio State next weekend is WR Andrew Lee from Columbus and Terry Pogue, the outstanding running back from Dayton. Pogue is committed to the Buckeyes but has not yet ruled out an official visit to Michigan State. The big question mark though with Pogue is whether he qualify academically or not. TE Jason Caldwell also is scheduled to visit Ohio State, as is WR Carlos Perez. The Buckeyes currently lead for DB/WR Darrin Stevens from Texas, and I don't think it's out of the question that he could commit to Ohio State next weekend. RB Diamond Ferry from Massachusetts is scheduled to visit next weekend, but whether the Buckeyes could fit him in this recruiting class or not remains to be seen. Much could depend on what happens with Chris Perry and Greg Jones. DB Harlan Jacobs from Georgia, who the Buckeyes have not yet offered a scholarship to, is scheduled to be in Columbus next weekend, as is RB/SS Jeramy Fairrow from Indiana. Fairrow is a tremendous talent, but he has not yet qualified academically. There are a few names that at one time had been scheduled to visit Ohio State next weekend but will not. Those who will not include two commitments, John Hollins and Willie Alan, who are now going to visit Ohio State the weekend of January 14th. Also Tyrell Dortch from New Jersey cancelled his visit to Ohio State because the Buckeyes got a commitment from Sam Maldonado. Of course, Michael Munoz has committed to Tennessee and will not visit this weekend as originally scheduled. Also Audy Audiamo from Illinois committed to Illinois, so he won't be visiting, and Tab Perry from California is committed to UCLA and won't visit, nor will QB Ben Rothlisberger who committed to Miami of Ohio. Finally, B.J. Johnson, the WR from Texas, committed to the Texas Longhorns so he too will not visit the weekend of the 6th. DB T.J. White from California had been scheduled for an official to OSU on the weekend of December 10th, but the Buckeyes delayed that as there are some definite question marks about his grades and his ability to transfer to Ohio State. The Buckeyes are no long recruiting T.J. White, but is going to visit Michigan January 7th and is also looking a Louisville and Oregon State. OSU commitment Alex Stepanovitch is working very, very hard so that perhaps he can come in and perhaps be a factor quickly on the offensive line for Ohio State next season. Alex told me that, like everybody saw on T.V. last season, Ohio State needs some help up front, and he said he would like to work very hard this Spring and this Summer and come in in great shape and perhaps have chance to contribute on the Buckeyes' offensive line next season. LB Marco Cooper has already visited Ohio State as well as Minnesota, and has had Tennessee scheduled for January 14th for some time. He now says that he will probably visit Georgia January 7th. He is still considering Purdue as well as Wisconsin for a possible 5th official visit. 12/29/99 12:05 AM Still no word from RB Chris Perry on his decision between Ohio State and Michigan, but Perry does say that he hopes to have a decision before the end of the year. DE Bobby Williams from Florida will be visiting OSU the weekend of January 7th, and will also visit Notre Dame, though it is not certain if that visit will be January 14th or January 21st. He will visit Notre Dame one of those weekends, and Florida the other. In between, he will visit North Carolina January 17th and he might also visit Georgia Tech January 28th. All five schools have offered him a scholarship, and Williams says he does not have a leader, but has a top three of Ohio State, Notre Dame and Florida, and I do think the Buckeyes have a realistic shot at landing Bobby Williams, one of the top DE prospects in the South. WR Joseph Bruce (5-9, 165) is a prospect that the Buckeyes are still very interested in. Bruce is the younger brother of St. Louis Rams WR Isaac Bruce. Joseph Bruce has now been offered a scholarship by Ohio State, but it is dependant on him qualifying academically. Bruce continues to say that Ohio State is his leader, but he has not made a commitment and he does run the risk of Ohio State filling up on scholarships if he doesn't make a decision soon. Of course the Buckeyes have 21 commitments thus far in this class, one of which can count back to last year's class, that being linebacker Jack Tucker from Cerritos Junior College, so the Buckeyes currently have five slots open in this class, that is assuming that the Buckeyes sign all the players on national signing day, which is not a definite at this point. Keep in mind that some of the players that are in this class are not yet eligible academically, so it is not a total certainty that the Buckeyes will sign all of them on national signing day. Joseph Bruce has already made an official visit to Ohio State, and his next visit is to Maryland January 14th, then Boston College January 21st. All three schools have offered him a scholarship. He is also looking at West Virginia and Missouri who have offered as well. The weekend of January 6th, 7th and 8th will be the next recruiting weekend for the Buckeyes. Visiting that weekend will be RB Jeramy Fairow, as well as DB Harlan Jacobs from Georgia. RB Diamond Ferry and DB Darrin Stephens both are scheduled for that weekend, as well as WR Carlos Perez from New Jersey and tight end Jason Caldwell, RB Terry Pogue from Ohio, DL Alphonso Townsend, WR Andrew Lee, DB Bobby Williams from Florida, and DL Calvin Barrett from California. A player that the Buckeyes continue to pursue is Darrin Stevens (6-4, 170) from Lewisville, Texas. Stevens could be either a safety or wide receiver in college. Stevens continues to have Ohio State as his top choice. Thus far he has visited Wisconsin and Oklahoma, and he has Ohio State January 7th. He also says he also will visit Kansas State in January, and has not ruled out Texas A&M, Oklahoma State, or Georgia Tech. All of those schools have offered a scholarship, but he says that Ohio State continues to be his leader. Offensive lineman Shane Olivea from New York, who had narrowed things down Ohio State and Georgia Tech, has committed to Georgia Tech over the Buckeyes. Olivea at one point was leaning very heavily toward the Buckeyes, but after visits to Syracuse and Georgia Tech, decided that he wanted to go to Georgia Tech. He said that he just felt more comfortable with Georgia Tech, and was very impressed with the coaches and the program and has committed to Georgia Tech. That is certainly a big, big loss for Ohio State, as they badly want to land offensive linemen as that was a weak spot on the team this year. Right now,. they have commitments from Alex Stepanovich, a tremendous OL line prospect, and Larry Kinnard. The Buckeyes were hoping to land Olivea, and of course Antonio Hall. With Olivea going to Georgia Tech, that makes Antonio Hall an even bigger priority than ever. TE Darrius Williams from Florida has made official visits to Ohio State, Georgia Tech, and Virginia. Williams has been offered a scholarship by Ohio State, though Williams says that Georgia Tech would probably be his favorite, though he says it is very close between all three schools, and he is still planning to visit Georgia the weekend of January 7th before making a decision. All of the schools except Georgia have offered him a scholarship. The Buckeyes are out of the running TE for Quin Sypniewski of Iowa. The Buckeyes had offered him a scholarship, and he has made official visits to Colorado, Michigan and Purdue. He had been considering an official visit to Ohio State, but his mom said the Quin does not making any other official visits and that he would likely decide between Colorado, Michigan and Purdue. QB/DB/Athlete Stewart Schweigert from Michigan has now visited Wisconsin. He said that he liked Wisconsin fine, but that Michigan State and Purdue remain his top two choices. He has now been to Michigan State, Purdue, Notre Dame and Wisconsin. He has now said that he will probably not visit either Ohio State or Colorado. WR Carlos Perez from Hoboken, New Jersey, one of the country's top wide out prospects, made an official visit to Purdue. He said that he thinks he likes Purdue better than Florida. He has now made official visits with Purdue and Florida, and is next going to visit Ohio State January 7th and Penn State January 14th, and Notre Dame January 23rd. He plans on taking all five of his official visits. He is a teammate of Tyrell Dortch, who is also going to visit Ohio State. DL Calvin Barret (6-2, 300) from California visited Wisconsin last week and did not commit to the Badgers. He had a great visit with the Badgers, and has also been to Arizona and Colorado. Barrett is also planning to visit Ohio State on January 7th and Nebraska on January 14th. All five schools have offered him a scholarship. Barrett says that things are very close between all of those schools and he does not yet have a favorite. RB Diamond Ferry from Massachusetts said the he had a good visit to Iowa last week but did not commit to the Hawkeyes. He has not been to Syracuse and and Iowa and will next go to Ohio State the weekend of January 7th. He also has Tennessee January 14th and will try to schedule Indiana for a January visit as well. WR Tony Brown from Florida still has Ohio State and Purdue as his favorites, and is planning to visit Michigan January 7th and Florida State January 14th. Brown is an outstanding wide receiver prospect, and the Buckeyes want to land one great wide receiver prospect in this recruiting class. Right now he says that Ohio State and Purdue are his co-leaders, but the visit that has to be worrisome is the one he has scheduled to Florida State. Brown has been offered scholarships by all four schools, and while I feel the Buckeyes have a realistic shot at landing him, I wouldn't be at all surprised if his decision comes down to either Florida State or Ohio State, and it might be a bit difficult for the Buckeyes to beat that in-state school, the Seminoles, but it's definitely not out of the question. Michael Jenkins is another great WR prospect from Florida that the Buckeyes have a legitimate shot at landing. Jenkins is being recruited by Jim Heacock. Jenkins continues to say that the Buckeyes are the leader for his services. Jenkins is still planning on taking his one last official visit to Georgia Tech on January 7th. He has already been to OSU, Virginia Tech and Notre Dame. You certainly never know what can happen, as was the case with Shane Olivea who had Ohio State as his leader until he visited Georgia Tech, then subsequently committed to the Yellow Jackets. The Buckeyes are certainly hoping that the same thing does not happen with Michael Jenkins. Jenkins continues to say that OSU is still his leader. Outstanding RB Greg Jones (6-1, 235) from South Carolina has narrowed things down to just two schools, and Ohio State is one of them. Jones has already made official visits to Ohio State and Michigan, and has a visit scheduled for Florida State on January 7th as well as Tennessee on January 14th and Clemson on January 21st. Jones told me that for right now, he has things narrowed down to Ohio State and Florida State. However, he says that he would probably go ahead and visit Tennessee and Clemson just to make sure between OSU and FSU. He does mention that Florida State is probably his leader right now just because it is closer to home, but that OSU is "right there" with the Seminoles. Jones rushed for over 1600 yards this season and is one of the country's top big backs. WR B.J. Johnson (6-0 185 4.4), one of the finest receivers in the US, was scheduled to make a visit with the Buckeyes January 7th. He has made an unofficial visit to Texas and was also looking at Florida State, Tennessee, Oklahoma and Notre Dame. All of those schools have offered him a scholarship. Johnson seemed most impressed with Tennessee, a school he made an unofficial visit to for the Tennessee - Notre Dame game, but he is also very impressed with Ohio State. He says that coach Cooper was the first head coach to see him as Cooper was at his school very early on. Johnson, however, has recently committed to Texas. It is time to take a look at the status of the Buckeyes' recruiting effort this season and the possibible scenarios for the rest of the recruiting season. At quarterback, the Buckeyes have landed Rick McFadden from Youngstown Struthers High School, and he will be the only quarterback signed in this recruiting class. In the backfield, at running back and fullback, the Buckeyes have commitments from Terry Pogue who could play running back or fullback or linebacker, but wants to get his first shot as a tailback. Brandon Joe, who will be a fullback at Ohio State, and Sam Maldonado who will be a tailback. The Buckeyes are awaiting word on Chris Perry who is deciding between OSU and Michigan, though I think Michigan may have a lead for Perry. They are also hoping to land Dustin Picciotti from Pennsylvania, but I think he will end up at Pitt. Willis McGahee from Florida is another one the Buckeyes would love to have and they continue to pursue him, but I think that McGahee will end up staying in the South. Tyrell Dortch from New Jersey is a tremendous talent, and the Buckeyes have a legitimate shot, but I think he is going to go elsewhere. Greg Jones from South Carolina is a big back that the Buckeyes would love to add to this class, but I think he is going to end up at Florida State or Tennessee. He says that Florida State and Ohio State are the teams to beat, but he also says that he will likely visit Tennessee, and I tend to think that he will stay in the South. OSU also continues to pursue Diamond Ferry, but I think he will go elsewhere, and I don't think Ohio State will in the end will have room for him in this recruiting class anyway thought they have offered him a scholarship. He has said that he will not make a decision until later. Jeramy Fairrow will perhaps decide between Michigan State and Ohio State. The Buckeyes love his talent, but he may not qualify academically, but may end up a partial qualifier and in this Buckeye recruiting class, but if he is not fully qualified I don't know if the Buckeyes will be able to fit him in. Marcus Sanders from Ravenna now says that he will visit Ohio State the weekend of January 21st and the Buckeyes have now offered him a scholarship, but I tend to think that he is going to end up at Michigan. At Wide Receiver, Andrew Lee and John Hollins, both from Ohio, have committed to Ohio State, and Corey Adams from Georgia have committed as well. Chuck Rodgers has said that he has not eliminated the Buckeyes, but he will probably not end up at Ohio State, and B.J. Johnson from Texas committed to Texas a couple of days ago. Johnny Morant from New Jersey says that Ohio State is now out of the running, but the Buckeyes are still in the running for Carlos Perez and they have a shot at him, but I tend to think he will go elsewhere. The two wide receivers I feel the Buckeyes have the best shot at are Michael Jenkins and Tony Brown, and I think that Ohio State has a very realistic shot at both of them, but the one that I think they have the best shot is Michael Jenkins. I think the Buckeyes may well end up landing Jenkins, a 6-5 wide out that Ohio State would love to have. The Buckeyes also continue to have interest in Joseph Bruce and stand a reasonable chance at landing him if his grades are sufficient to qualify. At Tight End the Buckeyes have long had a commitment from Jason Caldwell, and thought they had one from Willie Roberts. Eric Knott I believe will end up at Michigan State, and Alex Holmes will end up at either Michigan or UCLA. Quinn Sypniewski will end up at either Colorado or Michigan, and the Buckeyes also continue to pursue Billy Palmer, who could also be a defensive end, though I think that Palmer could end up at either Florida, Michigan or Georgia Tech. The Buckeyes also continue to pursue Darrius Williams from Georgia, and he is a possibility as a defensive end as well, but I think he will end up at Georgia Tech. Marcus Hairiston from Columbus is still very much a possibility, and he is visiting Ohio State January 14th, however I think the Buckeyes may not be able to squeeze him into this recruiting class, especially since he has not yet qualified academically. On the Offensive Line the Buckeyes have commitments from Alex Stepanovich, a great one, and Larry Kinnard from Alliance. One more that the Buckeyes are hoping to add to this recruiting class is Antonio Hall, and I think that in the end the Buckeyes are going to get good news and Hall will end up committing to Ohio State. Jonathan Colon has not yet made a decision, but I think he will end up staying in the South. On the Defensive Line, Alphonso Townsend has committed to Ohio State, and the Buckeyes are hoping to add Bobby Williams from Florida. Williams is one that the Buckeyes have a realistic shot at landing, but it is too close make a prediction on right now. Naughten McKay-Lausher from Canada is another one that the Buckeyes have a realistic shot at landing. I believe that ultimately his decision will come down to Ohio State or Miami, but I think that in the end he will end up with Miami. On the other hand, a defensive lineman that I think will end up in this Ohio State class is Calvin Barrett from California. Barrett right now has Ohio State pretty much even with the other schools he is looking at, but he has already visited the other schools and not yet visited OSU. I feel that his OSU visit could be the difference. At Linebacker, the Buckeyes have commitments from Derrion Scott from West Virginia, Jamaal Muhamaad from Georgia, Jack Tucker from California, and Darrell Lee from New Jersey. Marco Cooper from Michigan is a very difficult one to figure out. I think the Buckeyes have a very realistic shot, and his decision might come down to Ohio State or Tennessee. Robert Reynolds from Kentucky is one that the Buckeyes dearly want to land, and they have a realistic shot at doing so. I think his decision will come down to Ohio State or Florida or Michigan, but I think in the end the Florida Gators might have the inside track on Robert Reynold. The Buckeyes are still looking at Josh Chillcote from Columbus, but I don't think the Buckeyes are going to be able to fit him into this recruiting class. In the Defensive Backfield, the Buckeyes have landed Bobby Britton from Florida, B.J. Barre from Ohio, "Bam" Childress from Ohio, and Willie Allan from Ohio. The Buckeyes continue to pursue Darrin Stevens from Texas, and I think Ohio State will land him. Keep in mind that Stevens could play either wide receiver or safety in college, and I think OSU will land him. As a Specialist, the Buckeyes have landed Josh Huston and he will be the only specialist that Ohio State signs in this recruiting class. 12/19/99 9:30 PM The Buckeyes have picked up a verbal commitment from one of the country's top backs. Sam Maldonado (6-2, 215) from New York told me tonight that he has committed to Ohio State. Maldonado rushed for over 3000 yards this season. He made an official visit this weekend to Syracuse, and told me that he enjoyed it, but he is going to commit to Ohio State. He told coach Spencer last week that he would likely commit to Ohio State after visiting Syracuse, and he talked to coach Cooper about it as well. Maldonado said he really like his visit to Ohio State, had a great time, and is ready to commit to the Buckeyes. It is now a done deal, and Maldonado has committed to Ohio State. Maldonado, by the way, has raised his SAT score 120 points to 960 to go along with a 2.0 GPA, so this is certainly very big news for Ohio State. Antionio Hall has told me that he has narrowed his decision down to three schools, and probably two schools. Hall has visited Ohio State and Michigan, and said that he has cancelled his January 7th visit to Florida State. He is moving up his Kentucky visit from January 28th to January 14th. He was going to visit Tennessee January 14th, and that if he were to reschedule his visit, it would be for January 28th, but he is doubtful that he will reschedule that visit. He says that right now, Ohio State and Michigan are basically even. He said he liked the music program at Michigan and how the campus is smaller and more closed, but he likes the fact the Ohio State is closer to home and he has several former teammates at Ohio State, who, as he put it, have told him the "inside stuff." Hall said that he is not planning on making a decision until he at least visits Kentucky, but I still would not rule out the possibility of Hall moving up his decision, and I do like the Buckeyes' chances of landing Antionio Hall. On the discouraging side, Chris Perry, the running back from Virginia, told me this afternoon that he is going to make his decision some time this week between Ohio State and Michigan. Perry is in the state of New York visiting with his grandmother and will there until January 2nd. He said that an assistant coach from Michigan was at his house as I was speaking to him, but that he would not commit to anyone today, but he would commit to someone in the next week. He said that right now, Michigan holds a slight lead over Ohio State, but he said he could end up at either school. However, with the Buckeyes likely to land Sam Maldonado, that certainly minimizes the impact of Chris Perry possibly verballing to Michigan, though Chris Perry has not yet committed to anyone a this point. Speaking of great running back prospects, Tyrell Dortch from New Jersey is back from an official visit to Michigan State. He had a great time and was hosted by T.J. Duckett. He did not commit to the Spartans, but now says that Michigan State is his leader over Florida. He has visited Michigan State and Florida. Dortch is still planning on visiting Michigan January 7th, Ohio State January 14th, and Florida State January 23rd. OL Shane Olivea is back from his official visit to Georgia Tech. The bad news is that he loved it at Georgia Tech, and he said that he was impressed enough that Tech is one of his co-leaders. Olivea said that is down to two schools, Ohio State and Georgia Tech. Olivea told me that he is in the process of eliminating Syracuse and will be informing them of that, and will cancel his official visit to Tennessee in January. Olivea said he will decide within the next week or two between Ohio State and Georgia Tech, and that it is dead even right now between the two schools. Olivea is certainly a big target for Ohio State, along with Antonio Hall along the offensive line. Olivea says that he will think about things for the next week or so, and hopes to have a decision in the next one to two weeks. I tend to think that his decision will come sooner rather than later. LB Darrell Reed, who has already committed to Ohio State, is visiting Minnesota this weekend. His mother confirmed to me on Saturday afternoon that he is on that visit. She said that he is just making this visit as a backup so that he will see at least one other school since Ohio State was his only official visit, and there is a chance that he will visit at least one other school, perhaps Maryland, but he does plan to attend to Ohio State. There had been a rumor going around that tight end Eric Knott had committed to Michigan State. The rumor is completely false. In fact, Knott visited the Miami Hurricanes this weekend. I checked with him before he left for this trip to Miami, and he and his mother both said that he had not committed to the Spartans, and his brother also said that he had not committed to Michigan State. Knott is scheduled to visit Ohio State in January, either the weekend of January 14th or January 23rd. Knott says that Michigan State and Miami are now tied for his top spot. Those are the two schools that he has visited thus far, and now says he will probably not take all five of his official visits. I feel fairly certain that he will cancel Boston College. As to whether he will visit Ohio State, that remains to be seen. The Buckeye have received another verbal commitment. DB Bobby Britton (5-11, 175, 4.4) from Jacksonville Raines High School has committed to the Buckeyes. Britton is a cornerback, and the Buckeyes wanted to add one more corner to this class, and Britton was the one they had targeted. He was recruited by Buckeye assistant coach Jim Heacock and Britton told me that Heacock let him know that the Buckeyes wanted him badly, but if he waited too long, he might be out of luck because the Buckeyes might fill up on scholarships, so Britton took Heacock's advice and went ahead and committed to the Buckeyes. He says he is solid with his Buckeye commitment. He picked Ohio State over Notre Dame and Georgia Tech. A couple of the reasons he gave for picking Ohio State were the Buckeyes' need at corner back with Ahmed Plummer graduation. He feels he will get a shot at playing time as a true freshman at Ohio State, and he also mentioned the probation that Notre Dame has gone on as another factor. Britton has a 3.3 GPA and a 17 on the ACT. He is an outstanding cover corner prospect. There was a rumor out that LB Marco Cooper (6-2, 230) from Detroit had committed to Ohio State, however, the rumor is completely false. Cooper told me Thursday night that he has not committed to Ohio State, or anyone else for that matter. Cooper visited Minnesota this weekend. He also has Tennessee scheduled for January 14th. He is also looking at Purdue, Georgia and Wisconsin, but I tend to like the Buckeyes' chances of landing Marco Cooper. Cooper said that he liked his visit to Minnesota a little better than his visit to Ohio State and that he felt very comfortable at Minnesota. He quickly added that Ohio State is definitely not out of the running, and that he definitely does not have a favorite at this point. Fullback Dustin Picciotti (6-3, 235) from Pennsylvania, one of the country's top big backs, has tentatively scheduled an official visit to Ohio State. He told me that his first official visit is scheduled for Pitt for January 7th. He also has Iowa scheduled for January 14th, and he tentatively has Ohio State scheduled for January 21st. He has moved his Boston College visit back to January 28th. Picciotti says that the other schools that he is looking at are Miami of Florida, West Virginia and Syracuse, and all of those schools have offered him a scholarship. Picciotti said that right now, Pitt would be his leader with everyone else basically equal at this point. A fine junior that the Buckeyes are already interested in is QB Matt Rycraft (6-2 1/2, 180) from Beloit West Branch High School in Ohio. Rycraft will be one of the better quarterback prospects in the Buckeye state next season. He runs a 4.55 40 and has run an 11.6 100 meters in track. Those times were as a sophomore, and they will most likely improve by the time he is into his senior season. He has a 2.1 GPA and has not yet taken the ACT or the SAT. As a junior this year, he completed 50% of his passes for 1,300 yards, 14 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He also rushed for over 250 yards. Among the schools that are already in contact with him are Ohio State, Syracuse, Northwestern, Kentucky, Indiana, Stanford, Minnesota and Rutgers. He also has been contacted by Pitt and was very impressive in their football camp last summer. |